Question: The sum of $3$ consecutive integers is $156$. What is the second number in this sequence?
Answer: Call the first number in the sequence $x$ The next integer in the sequence is $x + 1$ The sum of the $3$ consecutive integers is: $x+ (x + 1)+ (x + 2) = 156$ $3x + 3= 156$ $3x = 153$ $x = 51$ Since $x$ is the first number, $x + 1$ is the second integer. Thus, the second number in the sequence is $52$.